Sorted
by Kitty O
Summary: "Merlin 's first time on the Hogwarts Express, he had the same question in his mind that all the first year students did – what Hogwarts house would he be sorted into?" Oneshot, basically just a Merlin Hogwarts AU


Merlin 's first time on the Hogwarts Express, he had the same question in his mind that all the first year students did – what Hogwarts house would he be sorted into?

He met Arthur on the plane, picking on another first year, and afterward, the girl next to him - who had dark hair and green eyes - said, "I'll bet you are going to be Gryffindor. That's what I want to be."

Merlin smiled at her.

He sat down in his own compartment a few minutes later, aside from a dark little girl who wanted to be called Gwen.

"Hufflepuff," she declared as they neared the school. "I bet you'll be Hufflepuff. That's where I want to be."

Merlin looked down and smiled up at her, with his big blue eyes and faint blush across his cheek. He was the most precious eleven year old most of the teachers had ever seen.

"Ravenclaw," guessed Professor Gaius as the young boy passed him by, making flowers sprout up along the side of the walkway. "I've never seen such talent in someone without any training." Then he looked to the next girl. "Ravenclaw," he guessed.

Gwen did indeed get Hufflepuff. Arthur was a Gryffindor, which caused a few raised eyebrows among his annoyed peers.

"SLYTHERIN," announced the hat, after sitting on Merlin's head for a minute or two.

"I don't see it," said Arthur to Leon, who sat next to him. "Aren't Slytherins supposed to be smart? That boy is an idiot."

Merlin simply grinned at being placed and went to take his place at the Slytherin table. "Hi," he said to the girl next to him. "I'm Merlin. I'm Slytherin too."

"Vivian," sniffed the girl. "Are you happy about it?"

"Sure," said Merlin. "I love the color green."

/

A lot of people couldn't see it.

Most people didn't care enough to worry about it, but occasionally someone would say something.

"How are you not in Gryffindor?" Arthur asked him in second year, when Merlin jumped off the moving stairs to save him from the runaway Magical Creature of the week.

"I can't believe you aren't a Hufflepuff," said Gwen as she walked him to the nurse after he got beaten up for mouthing off to two older boys who were picking on her.

"He should be a Ravenclaw," said one professor to Professor Gaius in Merlin's third year as they sat in the lounge, grading homework. "He has an amazing memory."

Gaius looked at the name. "The first time he convinced me to not grade the homework he didn't do, he was eleven. I think he's fine where he is."

/

"How did it go?" A twenty-four-year-old Merlin asked his boss as he settled into his secretary's desk again. He'd been working here for four years now. It was a common office conversation, you know – 'Hey, what House were you in?' And Merlin would say 'Slytherin' and someone would laugh everytime. Merlin would laugh too.

"Fine," Arthur replied, sipping his coffee. "He made some thinly veiled threats."

"What, really?" Merlin looked surprised. "That's not very professional."

"You know they're little better than a band of criminals," Arthur said. "Don't worry about it. Lots of people make threats. No one has ever made good on them."

"It's my job to worry about you, sir," said Merlin. "Will he be coming to see you?"

"Yes, probably tomorrow. Don't jabber at them when they come, will you? I mean, I know you're ridiculous, but it wouldn't do for word to get out."

Merlin laughed and played with his paperweight.

/

"I'm here to see Arthur Pendragon," said the man with long, dark hair who walked into the office the next day.

"Sure, go right in," said Merlin without looking up from his desk. He picked up his wand casually and turned it around.

The man walked into the door and tried to turn it. "It's locked," he said.

"Is it?" asked Merlin, standing up. He still held his wand. "How odd. Try it again."

He did. "No," he said. "Here, I'll just –" He reached for his wand in his side pocket, but found that it was gone. "What?"

Merlin placed the pilfered wand on the desk next to him and kept his own in his hand. "Mr. Pendragon," he said in a sweet voice, "was telling me yesterday that you said some things to him which I found highly disturbing. I wanted to discuss them with you."

"Did you just take my wand?"

Merlin looked at the desk. "Oh, yes," he said.

"Give that back."

"Oh, in a moment," said Merlin, taking a few steps closer. The stranger stepped away from the secretary in surprise, and perhaps alarm. "He seemed to think that you wouldn't carry through on your threats, even if you are little more than a criminal with a wand. And I happen to know he's right." Merlin still had the sweetest smile and blush of any wizard over three years old.

"This isn't any of your business."

Merlin didn't run, but somehow he had the man suddenly backed into a wall, and was standing not an inch away, his wand delicately resting on his opponent's eyelid.

"Actually, it is. You see, Mr. Pendragon's safety is my business. And my job. So you see, if you were to attempt to make good on your threats, no one will know it was me that killed you."

The stranger was the picture of defiance as he drew himself higher, trying not to blink. Merlin was two inches shorter than he was. "If you don't get that wand out my eye, I will break it in half."

"Go ahead," said Merlin, face as dark as thunder. "I've been using wandless magic since I was five. I'll boil your insides with my mind. The wand is just to stab your eye out with, if I should need to."

Three seconds passed by in utter silence.

Merlin stepped back with a smile and pointed at the door. "That sticks sometimes," he said. "It should be open now. You can go inside, Mr. Pendragon is waiting. No need to bother him with our conversation, though, I don't think. Oh, and here's your wand."

The man thought about hexing him. Merlin sat back down and turned to his typing. The man watched him, waiting for a chance. But in the end, he turned around and walked inside.

"Oh, Agravaine," Arthur said, standing up from his desk. "You're here right on time. Won't you sit down? We have a lot to discuss."

"We do," agreed his competitor, sitting down. "I met your…" He nervously cleared his throat, and Arthur poured him a glass of water. "I met your secretary. Interesting man."

"Merlin?" Arthur smiled. "Yeah, gormless, really. We went to Hogwarts together. Can you believe he was a Slytherin? The Sorting Hat really dropped the ball on that one, I think. He hardly looks like a conniver, does he?"

The man sitting opposite him gave a shaky smile and wiped his sweaty hands on his robes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just a quick story I watched while also watching Creature from the Black Lagoon, so please excuse any mistakes. Anyway, thanks for reading. **


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